WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 128, 21 November 1911, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD.

(Conducted by "Eileen.") A DRESSMAKER'S REMINISCENCES The life of Rose Bertin, dressmaker of tho ill-fated Marie Antoinette, just published in Paris, makes interesting reading, because of the stirring times in which tho famous modiste lived. Born at Amiens in 1747 of humble parents, Knse Berlin was apprenticed at an early age to a Parisian dressmaker, and soon after her arrival in Paris met with an adventure that brought her into prominence. She was sent to submit some dresses to the Princess de Conti, and was shown into a room where sat an old lady she took for a maid. The two chatted happily, and Rose showed the dresses. But when a nfaid came in, curtsied, and addressed tlie Princess, Rose saw her mistake. However, she apologised so prettily that the Princess forgave her, and, moreover, gave her a 'large order. On hearing of this, Rose's employer took her into partnership, and soon afterwards the young dressmaker, who had a genius for invention, opened an establishment of her own. She was not only a dressmaker, but a milliner, a cniffeuse, and maker of cloaks, furs, shoes, purses —in fact, everything that 1 was required for court or -opera wear. Then Marie Antoinette appeared on the scene, and she received the patronage of j this most extravagant of queens, who subsequently treated her as a friend. Mile. Berlin was especially noted for the wonderful coiffures she invented, some of them being two feet high. But most aged ladies did not approve of this monumental head-dress, and to meet their requirements the tactful modiste invented a collapsible coiffure. When she saw a criticising matron she pressed a spring and her gigantic coiffure collapsed instantly. The danger passed, another spring was touched and the coiffure reassumed its mighty proportions., Fashions of that day were known as the Bertin creations. Dolls dressed in the latest modes were sent throughout Europe. and large orders invariably followed the inspection of the tiny mannequins. Mine. Rose, as she was then called, was at the height of her power and prosperity when the Revolution came. The King and Queen were heheaded, and Mme. Rose fled in disguise to England. After the reign of "terror" she. however, returned, and was allowed to occupy her famous shop. But it was an altered Paris, and she never regained her former reputation.

RIVAL LOVERS ALLEGED ATTEMPTED MURDER. At the Dandonong (Victoria) Police Court last week, Leslie Arthur Oxenbury, a farmer at Mil-amboo, was charged with having wounded Tlenry Frank Reedy, with intent to murder. Reedy having narrated on oath the circumstances under which he was alleged he was shot, identified accused as his assailant. He was to have been marrie<l to Miss Zilla Car. a young woman. of Dandenong, on October 25 last. She had never told him she favored the accused as a lover. Zilla Car stated that she had been employed by accused's father at Daflimurla, but had left on October 3. She had known accused for r.iie or ten j ears, and Reedy about three. For the last two years she had been engaged to marry Reedy. On several occasions she had gone out with accused, and had attended a dance with him. In effect he had asked her to give up Reedy, but when she refused he had not renewed the subject, saying, "We can always be good friends." Accused was committed for trial, bail being allowed.

CHILD LIFE IN INDIA In one of a series of very interesting articles on India which she is publishing, Mrs. Flora Annie Steel discusses the present question of infant mortality in that marvellous land. She writes not only of the India she knew so intimately during the years when she held the post of Inspector of Government and Aided Schools in the Pnnjaub. but also of the India of the present day, and she says that she is compelled to admit that the percentage of infant mortality is very high, although the authorities have some reason for believing that they have checked female infanticide. The high death rate, of course, is the natural outcome of the sad lack of knowledge among mothers. For the first week after the birth of her child the mother is often fed on a mixture of ground almonds. ginger, sugar candy and other strange ingredients, and aa half the baby's ills are put down to the evil eye. for which there is no cure comparable to burning red pepper under the nose of the patient, catastrophes to both mother and child are not uncommon. The police reports concerning infant mortality used to repeat frequently a pathetic little phrase, "Died from the cause of not drinking milk." Mrs. Steel sa.vs that it hid many a tragedy. Education is doing something to remedy the almost inconceivable ignorance of the Indian mother. ''lt must be remembered, however," writes Mr*. Steel, "that such education gauged at its highest—and bow bad these so-called girls' schools can be 1, as inspector, know to my cost—touches only 4 per cent, of the total female population." Looking back on her life, the aii(lior"ss holds her "magnum opus" to have been the pn ;iurtion in the vernacular of a primer mi hygienic and domestic economy, which is still used very freely in India. In one of her visits to India, years after the hook was written, Mrs. Steel suffered a bronchial attack while re-visiting her favorite school. She asked some pupil- what remedy she should apply .and they told her exactly what to do. with manifest pride producing her own book as indisputable evidence of ' he correctness of the treatment they had learned to employ.

A WOBLE SACRIFICE A high tribute to tlie late wife of the leader of the Labor Party in the British lloil-e of Common-, was paid by tlie l!ev. I'. Donaldson, of Leicester, in whose church she had worshipped before her removal to London. "In the -acred circle of her home she loved husband, clntiien. friend-;, presenting before tho-e privileged to see the most, gracious -peetacle on earlh—a loyal. Kteadfa.it and devoted wife. There are days in which, bv all accounts, this witness i- sorely needed. The old idea of home on every side is menaced. Commerce. like the legendary vampire, sucks away the rich, warm l.lood of maiden and of youth, and tears them from the innocence of home. Industrialism, by its ruthless disregard of natural human claim, breaks into the family and demands sacrifice to God of gold, of husband. wife or child. And so the age grows poorer, ba-er by disruption of the family. Margaret Macdonald saw this long ago. mi! bore witness of its evil, not only liy in ; -ivc speech and quickened pen. but bv exhibiting in herself and in her home the highest possible ideal of sacred family life. Xone who ever saw her laboring with her .husband or encircled by her children, and tending them in their noed, could fail to realise that

here at least domestic integrity was safeguarded and its happiness fulfilled. She leaves behind lier images of herself—her children. Her life was of the simplest in its character and habit. She spurned luxury, and was content. In early years she answered to the call of poor humanity, fallen among thieves, wounded and left by the wayside. And this service was strengthened by tke marriage, some 15 years ago, to a present chief servant of our city, James Ramsay Macdonald, then one of the. Labor pioneers of Britain, and now one of its leading statesmen. Aided, not hindered, in social labor by her marriage, Margaret gave to the cause of the poor and oppressed her very self, working with heart and head and hand, in season and out of season, for their redemption."